1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to methods of controlled mixing of several fluids together, and to methods of generally conducting and controlling chemical reactions and/or physical changes in those fluids.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many physical and chemical processes require the delivery of a first fluid, and of mixing of two or more fluids together. The effectiveness of the mixing in such processes is dependent upon many physical phenomena. Mixing may depend upon the surface area of a liquid or the interfacial area between the fluids (e.g., a liquid, a vapor, and/or a gas) that are to be mixed. For heat exchange between two fluids in direct contact, the process depends in part on the interfacial area between the two fluids and thus on the specific interfacial area (surface area per mass). In another example, chemical reactions between a liquid and a gaseous fluid typically occur between the vapor evaporated from the liquid, and the surrounding gaseous fluid.
Traditional methods for mixing two fluids together rely on relatively few injection nozzles, which are arranged to inject a first fluid into a second fluid. Such methods produce areas where local concentrations may be higher or lower than the desired average concentration. Such discontinuities may adversely effect the desired physical or chemical processes. There is a general need for an apparatus and method for improving the mixing of two or more fluids together.
Some relevant combustors use a few injectors to spray or inject liquid or gaseous fuel and/or liquid or vapor diluent into the combustor to create small droplets and distribute them into the oxidant containing fluid or “oxidant fluid.” E.g., spraying diesel fuel and water or steam into compressed air. Swirl, thin cones or air assist with high-speed injection are variously used to form droplets smaller than the injector orifices. With such measures it is difficult to obtain desired transverse distributions of fluid delivery of any given fluid. Correspondingly it is difficult to obtain desired compositions or ratios of a second to first fluid, particularly spatially desired compositions.
With exothermic reactions such as combustion, adiabatic “flame” or reaction temperatures for fuel and oxidant are often high, so diluents are often used. However, conventional practice finds it difficult to control the spatial or transverse distributions of the temperature of the energetic fluid exiting the combustor and of the oxidant composition. Correspondingly there is difficulty in emissions such as oxides of nitrogen that are formed from locally high temperatures. Similarly it is often difficult to control emissions of unburned hydrocarbons that are left from cooler portions and from lack of oxygen in relevant art combustors.